Dortmund out to add to Benfica’s Germany misery

Dortmund's players warm up during a training session in Dortmund, on March 7, 2017 on the eve of the Champions League football match between Borussia Dortmund and Benfica. / AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ

Defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos says Borussia Dortmund must give ‘300 percent’ in Wednesday’s Champions League showdown in their bid to reach the quarter-finals and add to Benfica’s miserable record in Germany.

Benfica arrive in Dortmund for the last 16, second-leg, clash holding a precious 1-0 lead after Konstantinos Mitroglou’s wining goal in the first-leg win in Lisbon.

Benfica’s record on German soil is poor with 14 defeats in 22 European games and just two victories.

However, Rui Vitoria’s Benfica has won their last seven games in all competitions, including the first leg when Borussia’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a night to forget — missing four chances including a penalty.

Dortmund were dealt a pre-match blow on Saturday when Germany winger Marco Reus tore his left hamstring in their 6-2 rout of Leverkusen as Aubameyang netted twice to stretch his league goals tally this season to 21.

“I’ll have to keep my fingers crossed from the stands. I don’t think we have to change much — just score a few goals,” said Reus.

Despite the goal-fest against Leverkusen, defensive lynchpin Sokratis insists Dortmund “have to play 300 percent better” and use their home advantage to reach the quarter-finals.

“It would be very bad if we didn’t make it,” admitted the Greece international as victory would earn Dortmund 10 million euros ($10.5M), which includes a 6.5m euros premium from UEFA, for reaching the last eight.

Benfica’s in-form forward Mitroglou, who grew up in Germany, can rival Aubameyang having scored 18 goals in his last 17 games.

With play-maker Reus sidelined, the pressure falls on teenage winger Ousmane Dembele and Aubameyang to provide the goals, but defender Marc Bartra says patience is required.

“It’s going to be difficult, we must remain patient and calm,” said the ex-Barcelona centre-back.

“We have to stand up well at the back, the goals will come.”

Benfica boss Vitoria says his side team will be “playing for their lives” at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park and it’s famous South Stand, nicknamed the ‘Gelbe Wand’ (Yellow wall), which holds 25,000 home fans.

Dortmund fans will look to one of the club’s famous nights, on December 4, 1963, when they swept Benfica aside 5-0 at home, winning the European Champions’ Cup first-round tie 6-2 on aggregate, despite having lost the first-leg 2-1 in Portugal.

For added motivation, according to German daily Bild, Dortmund’s club bosses have earmarked 100,000 euros per player as an extra bonus.